“The Nightingale and the Rose”

Here’s another multiplane picture from college days.It illustrates the climactic scene from Oscar Wilde’s fairy tale, “The Nightingale and the Rose”, and below is the illustration I did for the same scene in “Oscar Wilde: Stories for Children” which I illustrated about five years after leaving college.It is interesting to compare the two pieces. I think it was a good move for me to ditch the experimental medium. Funnily enough though, I am looking into doing a 3d illustration with an Irish company that has developed amazing 3d print technology.

Again, I have to say that, much as I love Oscar Wilde, the subject of a little bird sacrificing itself on a rose thorn is something I would think twice about presenting to my own kids.

7 Comments

i remember reading the book this was published in as a child and the story and imagery stayed with me. I was walking through Waterstone's today and had an urge to find this book, I could not. Very glad I was able to find your illustrations here as they are hauntingly beautiful and reminded me of my childhood and reading such wonderful stories.

Thanks Anonymous,The good news is that that book is readily available all over the place. They reprint it all the time.You can certainly get it on Amazon or you could probably get a hardback on eBay.I'm delighted that you liked it.Best wishes PJ

niHello PJ Lynch,My sister has been through some troubling times over the years to do with 'matters of the heart'. I wanted to take her back to a time when her heart was open and hopeful about love, but could not think of a way too. Then, I remebered her favorite story as a child – the nightingale and the rose – and I knew what I must do … I wondered if you would paint the illustration of this story with your own fair hand, so that I could write the story underneath / or you could write it under your painting … and if this could be done, to pay you for your time and skill in so doing. Is this something you would consider? My email is ghayes2004@hotmailcom … it would be wonderful to hear back from you. Kinest regards, Gilly